Sweden votes in an election with a slight advantage for the center-left opposition.

Sweden is holding general elections with polls indicating a slight advantage for the center-left opposition. Voting began at 8:00 local time on Sunday, as the incumbent right-wing governing bloc has managed to narrow the gap in the final run-up to the vote.

Simultaneously, heightened economic anxieties are developing in Iran amid intensified United States sanctions and an ongoing naval blockade designed to isolate the country financially. Many Iranian citizens now reportedly fear deepening impoverishment more than the threat of renewed military bombardments, compounding an existing domestic economic crisis.